UEFA Champions League
Europe (UEFA) | current_champions = Liverpool (2018–19) (6th title) | number_of_teams = 32 (group stage) 76 or 77 (total) | most_successful_club = Real Madrid (13 titles) | current = 2019-20 | website = http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/index.html }} The UEFA Champions League, known simply as the Champions League, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champion (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of each UEFA national association. The final of the 2012–13 tournament was the most watched UEFA Champions League final to date, as well as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide in 2013, drawing 360 million television viewers. Prizes Trophy and medals Each year, the winning team is presented with the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the current version of which has been awarded since 1967. Any team that wins the Champions League three years in a row or five times overall wins the right to retain a full-sized replica of the trophy (UEFA retains the original at all times). Six clubs have earned this honour: Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan, Liverpool, and Barcelona. The current trophy is 74 cm (29 in) tall and made of silver, weighing 11 kg (24 lb). It was designed by Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern, Switzerland, after the original was given to Real Madrid in 1966 in recognition of their six titles to date, and cost 10,000 Swiss francs. As of the 2012–13 season, 40 gold medals are presented to the Champions League winners, and 40 silver medals to the runners-up. Prize money As of 2015–16, UEFA awards €2 million to the play-offs winners and €3 million to the eliminated clubs in the play-off round. For reaching the group stage, UEFA awards a base fee of €12 million. A win in the groups is awarded with €1.5 million and a draw is worth €500,000. In addition, UEFA pays teams reaching the first knockout round €5.5 million, each quarter-finalist €6 million, €7 million for each semi-finalist, €10.5 million for the runners-up and €15 million for the winners. *First Qualifying Round: €200,000 *Second Qualifying Round: €300,000 *Third Qualifying Round: €400,000 *Play-offs Eliminated: €3,000,000 *Play-offs Winners: €2,000,000 *Base fee for group stage: €12,000,000 *Group match victory: €1,500,000 *Group match draw: €500,000 *Round of 16: €5,500,000 *Quarter-finals: €6,000,000 *Semi-finals: €7,000,000 *Losing finalist: €10,500,000 *Winning the Final: €15,000,000 A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2012–13 season, Juventus, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals, earned nearly €65.3 million in total, of which €20.5 million was prize money, compared with the €55.0 million earned by Bayern Munich, who won the tournament and were awarded €35.9 million in prize money. External links * UEFA Official website * 50 years of the European Cup UEFA October 2004 Category:UEFA Club Competitions Category:UEFA Champions League Category:Cups